
UAMS researchers have been awarded a five-year, $15 million grant to study the best mechanisms for postpartum care to reduce maternal mortality and disease rates.
The study aims to address critical gaps in knowledge about how best to ensure timely identification and treatment of complications in new mothers, UAMS said in a news release. Researchers will look at ways to meet the needs and preferences of diverse patients, including disproportionately impacted racial groups and rural residents.
The grant comes from the nonprofit Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
The most common model of care after delivery is an in-person visit scheduled around six weeks postpartum. But most postpartum maternal morbidity happens within the first six weeks after delivery, often within the first two weeks, according to Jennifer Callaghan-Koru, one of the principal investigators on the study.
Researchers will compare two postpartum care models — a multicomponent telehealth model and enhanced standard of care — by conducting a comparative evaluation with 1,500 low-income and racially/ethnically diverse women.
The telehealth model includes a telehealth visit between 10 and 14 days postpartum and remote patient monitoring of blood pressure for 14 days, in addition to the standard comprehensive postpartum visit.
The U.S. has a higher maternal mortality rate than most other high-income nations, with more than half of maternal deaths occurring postpartum after hospital discharge.
Dr. Pearl McElfish, the other principal investigator on the study and founder of the UAMS Rural Research Network, said the study has “great potential to benefit the quality of postpartum care received by women in the United States.”
“Given the importance of early detection and treatment of complications in the postpartum period for reducing maternal mortality and morbidity,” she said, “this study fills a critical gap in knowledge for clinical decision-making.”